Ice Tea
by LadyStellaSkye
Summary: Mac's world is spinning...where's Stella? No one seems to know, leaving Mac to wonder where his Greek Goddess has gone. Is she really gone? Is Peyton back! Oh...I hope not.


Ice Tea

Mac strolled down the hallway toward a familiar apartment...well, somewhat. She was shopping for a new apartment since the Cabi-Killer.

"So she moved?" A male voice asked, standing in front of the apartment Mac was looking for.

"Yeah, I heard she was off for a new job or something." Another man responded.

"I heard she got tired of waiting for that guy and found another one in San Francisco." He answered.

"Well, I'm gonna miss that pretty little thing." The two men walked past an awe stricken Mac.

Mac plopped in his swivel chair and ran a hand through his short brown hair. "Stella."

"Hey Mac, what's goin' on? You look kinda down."Said Flack.

"Oh, nothing Don, do you know where Stella is?" Mac asked calmly.

"I thought she had today off, told me she was going to San Francisco or something." Flack shrugged and went on his way, leaving Mac dumbfounded.

"Stella." He said in his usual muttering fashion. How could she leave? Leave him-them? What made her leave? How could she just leave without even saying goodbye to him? How? He loved-wait. Back up. Did he love her? Who was he kidding, he knew that, of coarse he did. He loved Stella. "Oh Stella, I love you."

"Pardon me, Mac?" Asked a passing Hawkes, who did a double take.

"Oh! I s-said, uh, Stella's, olive juice." Mac stuttered, feeling heat surge through his face.

"Stella's olive juice?" Hawkes squinted suspiciously.

"Yeah, she loves olives," Mac started, smiling at the memory. "And she left the juice all over my desk."

"Okay, well, have a good day Mac." Hawkes waved.

Mac strolled around Central Park with his feet scraping against pavement. His reflection in the pond showed the suit jacked he wore. He knew that over time, he'd grown closer to Stella. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to say he cared about her more than anyone else. Maybe he'd always cared for her that way.

There were now four things Mac Taylor would protect at all costs: the security of his country, the safety of the city, the integrity of the lab, and the well-being of Stella Bonasera. She was his long time best friend, the one woman in his life he always felt he needed to protect. Even when he was married to Claire, he never considered Stella just a friend. They were his lifelines, and now Stella was all he had. She was a Greek Goddess who protected him from his inner Hades. Her mop of curly hair and bright olive eyes were captivating and entrancing. "Stella."

"Let's see." A finely manicured finger nail tapped cherry pink lips. Dark eyelashes batted over shimmering jade eyes. "Macaroni."

"Stella?" Mac drove for what seemed to be ages around New York city looking for one beautiful Greek woman. First stop: Tiffany's.

"Hello sir-oh! Dt. Mac Taylor, how can I help you?" The young blond asked suggestively.

"Have you seen a woman named Stella Bonasera in here recently? She's a tall, thin, Greek-Italian woman with curly butterscotch gold hair, tan skin and jade green eyes." Mac rushed.

"No, haven't seen her, but uh, are you busy-?" He was already out the door. "Damn!"

A head of curls stuck up from the fruit section, being taller than the others. "Macaw feed? What's that doing in the fruit section? This isn't even a pet store!"

"Stella?!" Mac shouted over the airport intercom. "Stella Bonasera!"

"No one is here by that name now stop shouting into the intercom young man!" An older woman shouted, beginning to beat Mac with her purse.

"Ah! Ow! I'm sorry ma'am! Ah! Okay! Okay, I'm leaving!" Mac shouted.

"The Big Mac is now trans-fat free? I don't believe it." Loose, wavy curls bounced as the figure shook its head, walking away from the huge MacDonald's, shopping bag in hand.

"Mac?" Mac froze as he was half out of the airport doorway. "Mac Taylor!"

"Peyton." Mac murmured bitterly under his breath.

"Mac, I-I'm so sorry. I took some time in London to turn down my fiancee, and I-I want to marry you!" The dark haired woman giggled, going to kiss his lips.

"Peyton, Peyton, I-I can't." He protested.

"Oh Mac, I'm sorry, can you forgive me? I do love you." Peyton looked at him with pale glassy eyes.

"Peyton, I love someone else, I'm sorry!" Mac struggled to get Peyton's arms from around his neck.

"Who?" Peyton narrowed her eyes. "Stella, it's Stella, isn't it? Mac I love you! Just...forget her."

"Don't you understand, Peyton? I need Stella! I love her!" Mac shouted, running out.

"Damn you both to hell then!" Peyton shouted. She stormed back out to the tarmac in rage...then she got crushed by a meteor and died. (Ha!)

"The Macarena is coming back? That dance is so stupid!" The woman frowned at the poster.

"That's it. She's gone, Stella, my precious Star." Mac sighed, outside her apartment complex.

"Oh, hey Mac! Not on the clock?" A soothing voice called.

"Stella?" Mac stared in awe for the third-fourth?-time that day. "Where were you?"

"The store, but let me tell you something weird is going on. First I go to buy macaroni and there is none, then I find macaw feed in the fruit section, then MacDonald's says the Big Mac is trans-fat free and finally I just read on a club flyer that said the Macarena is coming back." She blew a stray curl away from her face.

"Stella, everyone told me you moved!" Said Mac.

"Who?!" Stella asked, equally shocked.

"Two guys talking outside your apartment said you got tired for waiting for some guy and that you found a new one in San Francisco." Said Mac.

"They were talking about the girl beside me." Stella stated flatly.

"They had boxes." Mac persisted.

"Probably from the apartment basement. Water damage wrecked a bunch old air conditioners."

"Flack said you went to San Francisco."

"I told him I was going to the store by San Francisco, the STORE."

"Oh. Maybe I overreacted a little." Mac admitted shyly.

"Yeah." She smiled.

"You don't have to be so quick with your "yeah"!" Mac smiled back, remembering Stella's case years ago. After having almost the same conversation she kissed his cheek and...everything after was hazy.

"Well, did you think things through, 'cause it sounds like you didn't." Stella smirked playfully.

"I panicked, I thought you were really gone. I thought I-I-I love you, Stell." Mac smiled as a faint red began to spread through her cheeks and she looked away embarrassedly, albeit smiling.

"I-I love you too Mac, but you need to know I would never leave." Stella kissed Mac's cheek, a little longer than when they were "just friends". A little more affectionate. Mac blushed faintly. "You're so cute."

"So are you. Now how about dinner. I never want to lose you again." Mac caressed her soft cheek.

"Mac, I went to the store to buy ice tea...but dinner would be great!"


End file.
